Can't You See Them?
by Ghostfish
Summary: Ianto is broken. Reverting deeper and deeper into a world he believes is his salvation when in reality it could take him from Torchwood forever. Can the team bring him back in time? Mild J/I. Spoilers for both series. x
1. Chapter 1

**Title -** Can't You See Them?

**Author -** Ghostfish

**Disclaimer -** Don't be daft, you know very well I don't work for Mr. Davis. However, Sir, if you're reading, you know where I am if you want me.

'Can't you see them?'

Jack felt twin emotions of anger and sorrow at the softly spoken words from Ianto. Kneeling in front of the stricken Welshman, himself on his knees on the forest floor, Jack tried to catch his eyes, draw his attention away from whatever it was that he was staring at. Iantos' face was stained with tears that tracked down his cheeks, eyes wildly roving the clearing around them.

The rest of the Torchwood team held back beneath the rusty autumn trees that circled the clearing, letting Jack do what he did best by talking Ianto down. None of them knew what to do, what to say in the face of Iantos' complete belief in the ghosts before him. How do you convince someone that something they can see in plain sight isn't really there? They were used to dealing with what was real, what was tangible, things that had an effect on the general population. Dealing with a single mind so utterly convinced something impossible was true, that was new territory.

Ianto seemed distracted.

They all noticed it in their own way. Gwen noticed that her desk wasn't quite as tidy as it usually ended up when Ianto gave it the once-over each night. Tosh noticed Iantos' time logs for his working hours dipping, unusual as he was without fail first in, last out. Owen noticed the coffee becoming erratic in its delivery times. Jack noticed a complete lack of humor from his usually dry-witted employee, mild teasing dwindling from rare to non-existent.

None of this however was quite enough to make any of them consciously consider what was wrong. Everything that seemed 'off' about Ianto was so subtle that it flew under their collective radar, especially as every other hour it seemed they were being called out to deal with something. Rift-related or not, these things took priority over the slightly odd mood of their colleague, who, despite his unspoken distraction, was still as efficient and useful as ever. He continued to join them on missions, he continued to make their much-needed coffee (albeit at more irregular intervals) and he continued to keep the filing system in obsessive compulsive order.

Still, something was off. And it could only be so long before the precarious chemistry of the constantly overworked Hub team would start to be affected by it.


	2. Chapter 2

He wasn't quite sure when he saw the first one, thinking back on it. All Ianto knew is that they kept appearing, misty at first before becoming stronger over time. It happened at home mostly, during the brief hours in which he was away from the Hub and in his own space.

He had meant to mention it to Jack. He honestly had, after all, any strange occurrences should by rule of procedure be reported straight to the Captain and the rest of the team. That was, after all, what they did. Strange occurrences became just occurrences within the confines of Torchwood.

But with work so hectic, callouts coming through regularly and everyone occupied with the latest event, Ianto hadn't found the opportunity to mention it. He had to admit there was also a slight fear that if he did tell them, they might start looking at him in _that_ way again, the same way they'd looked when they found out about Lisa. That mixture of confusion, pity and fear that said they weren't quite sure about him any more. Weren't sure how stable was the mind of a man who had kept his partially converted cyber-girlfriend locked away in the basement of the Hub for longer than they liked to think. The enemy within, no matter how good his intentions had been.

Granted, they'd all done stupid things in the name of love or infatuation. Gwen and Owen for example, carrying on an ill-disguised affair. Tosh falling for someone as one-dimensional as Mary, allowing her access to Torchwood. Jack and his obsession with the Doctor which spanned centuries. They were all guilty of the human frailty of emotion. But when it came to Lisa they all seemed to agree that Ianto had crossed the line, lied to them for so long and threatened their safety to such an extent that they were no longer as sure of the ever-reliable team support as they had been. Even Owen opening the Rift, so desperate was he to get Diane back, hadn't had quite the same effect on the team as the discovery of a supposedly obsolete enemy right beneath their feet.

Ianto never wanted to see that look on their faces again. Everything that had happened with Lisa, watching her die both in her own body and within that of another had nearly killed him too. Seeing that look on the faces of the people he worked with every day had only served to kick him when he was as far down as he could get.

He'd reverted as best he could to normal. He'd come into work the next day, still amazed he hadn't been fired and RetConned on the spot once Jack had finally removed the gun from the back of Iantos' neck. He'd maintained his usual level of organization, performed his work as well as ever he had. And for the first couple of weeks he could feel their eyes on him. Gwen gazing at him whenever he passed, looking always on the edge of asking if he were alright, if he wanted to talk but never quite forming the words. Tosh tried as hard as possible to hide the fact that she was watching; Ianto couldn't count the number of times he'd seen her head flick to a position that wasn't pointing at him when he'd turned to look at her.

Only Owen seemed relatively normal. The usual disdain, snarky comments, general air of sarcasm. The only slight change Ianto noticed in the man was the frequency of the insults usually received from Owen lessened slightly. It was as if they now had an unspoken affinity, having both lost people they loved so cruelly.

Jack on the other hand made no pretense that he _wasn't_ watching Ianto's every move, eying him like a hawk whenever Ianto was nearby. Until he up and disappeared with the Doctor, he rarely let Ianto out of his sight within the Hub. Trips out with the rest of the team had increased, whether as a way of keeping tabs or as a distraction Ianto did not know. He also had the feeling that CCTV cameras followed him about the Hub when he wasn't in Jacks' range.

In Jacks' case, Ianto couldn't blame his boss. The level of betrayal that Jack appeared to feel was both obvious and humbling. Where Ianto still felt a trace of anger at all of them for never, ever asking him anything about his life, in Jack's case he also felt a stab of guilt. Though Jack must still trust him to an extent (if he didn't Ianto would surely have been out of Torchwood quicker than he could blink) it had nevertheless taken one hell of a knock. Jack needed to be able to trust his team, needed to know they could function within the demands that a job like Torchwood asked of them. As well as being more protective of Ianto in almost indiscernible ways, especially since Lisa and the cannibal incident, he was also making damn sure Ianto wasn't hiding anything else that would threaten the integrity of Torchwood. It wasn't a job you could be half-hearted about, nor was it one you could abuse the way Ianto had done by bringing a Cyberman into the building. Torchwood was about defense and protection. If danger itself lurked unnoticed within its walls, Torchwood itself became the danger.

So when the misty figures had started appearing before Ianto shortly after Jack had left with the Doctor, he'd kept quiet.


	3. Chapter 3

They scared him a little at first, the shining ghost-like figures that wafted into his vision, but he soon figured out that they meant him no harm. They were merely there, and then gone again, misty at first but becoming stronger over time. Maybe it was his own mind giving them strength, the more he believed in and became used to their existence, the more frequent their visits became.

Though he didn't understand why these things were happening, Ianto didn't waste a lot of time thinking about it. He was tired, he told himself. Depressed still after all that had happened, grieving at the loss of Jack, then confused by his sudden return. The bizarre relationship that had developed between Ianto and the Captain was also a constant torment. Though nothing of any great note had happened, Ianto had found himself falling alarmingly fast for his boss, making the sudden death, then resurrection and departure of Jack Harkness even worse to bear. Unsure of his place within Torchwood once Jack had left, Ianto had buried himself in the archives and his own thoughts until the day of his return, slotting right back into the mix as if he'd never been away. Despite the implication that Jack had partly returned for Ianto (the swift follow up to 'I came back for you' being 'All of you' had betrayed the fact that Ianto hadn't meant as much to Jack as he thought), Ianto couldn't bring himself to trust his boss anymore. There had been too much hurt in his life this past year to risk any further emotional strain.

So, the upshot was that Ianto's stress levels were tipping the scale. Maybe he _was_ just imagining the figures. Or maybe he was having some kind of breakdown.

He couldn't help but think a little wistfully as he lay alone in bed at night that perhaps a breakdown would be a welcome escape from the utter chaos that his life had become.

Ianto took to ignoring the first few images that appeared. They only lasted a few seconds anyway and were gone before he really had time to think about it, dismissed as a trick of the eye. It was when they started sticking around for longer that he finally started paying attention.

Just after Jack had returned, strolling in on a shoot-out with a massive grin as if nothing had happened, that was when the first figure spoke to Ianto.

The flickering images had become stronger over the past months since Jack had left them all. Mostly it was just one at a time, however they sometimes came in pairs, floating just above gravity's hold. There was nothing of note about them except for their presence. They were vaguely human sized but had no real shape, wavering in an almost relaxing way. Never getting in the way, never interfering. Not until the night that Jack returned.

The one that finally communicated with Ianto appeared in the small front room of Ianto's flat while he was watching the news, knees hugged to his chest on the small sofa, trying not to think of that oh-so-familiar smile. He'd not been able to bear the catch up session at the pub, an impromptu 'Welcome Home' party thrown by Gwen once they'd all ranted their annoyances about Jack leaving. Ianto had joined in the group bollocking in the conference room, saying as little as possible and wishing he could just slink away unnoticed. Jack kept trying to engage him in the conversation but Ianto responded only when necessary, never betraying with words the way he felt. When they'd done with the shouting he made some excuse and slipped off, ignoring as best he could the questioning eyes of the Captain.

Now here he was, alone and yet not alone. Used to the indistinguishable shapes by now, Ianto merely glanced at it before returning his attention to the television screen.

_Ianto?_

It was so faint that he almost didn't notice over the noise of the TV.

_Ianto Jones? Can you hear me?_

This time he was certain. Ianto looked up properly at the misty figure, which to his surprise suddenly wasn't quite so misty. There was now a certain definition about the face.

'...what?' he said quietly, barely realizing he had spoken.

_You can hear me. I know you can. You look tired, Ianto._

Frowning at the not-so-misty apparition before him, he tuned on the sofa as it appeared to sit next to him. Closer up and with his attention fully directed at it, there was something very familiar about the shape before him. It wasn't a physical recognition insomuch as it was a sensing. Ianto immediately knew that this..._thing_, whatever it was, was a person. A human.

_Do you recognize me Ianto?_ The figure spoke as if it had read his mind, increasing Ianto's discomfort.

'I...I don't know.'

_You know me. You used to know me. I've missed you._

And suddenly the recognition struck with such force that Ianto pulled in a gasp, eyes going wide as he stared at the figure on the couch. Immediately the definition of the features solidified, hardened into fact.

'Lisa?'

The apparition seemed to smile, the features solidifying again immediately he said her name.

_Ianto._

'This...is...impossible,' Ianto stammered, unable to keep his eyes away from the shimmering face of Lisa. She didn't look real as such, but there was enough in that shining mass of atoms to convince him that it was definitely her. Automatically he reached out a hand to touch her, but she shrank away.

_You can't touch me Ianto. I'm sorry._

'But...you're dead?' Ianto whispered, feeling very stupid and more than a little afraid. 'I saw your body. I put you in the morgue. This...this can't be you.'

Again Lisa smiled, a little sadly this time. _I'm as real as you need me to be._

The ambiguous answer left him even more confused. But by the time he'd formed the questions he wanted to ask in his mind she had disappeared, leaving Ianto alone in the now stone cold flat, television still wittering away unnoticed. He swiped at an itch on his cheek, which turned out to be a tear working its way across the skin.


	4. Chapter 4

From then on, Lisa had appeared to him every couple of days. At home, at work, every so often he would turn around and she was there.

He experienced the first materialization at the Hub while the team were observing Owen as he dissected the latest deceased alien to cross their path. This particular alien was about the same size as a human being, but was considerably more transparent. Looking at the still figure as Owen examined it, mumbling to himself and occasionally leaving the mortuary table to tap notes furiously into his computer, it was very much like looking at an odd kind of jellyfish, internal organs wavy but visible beneath a fragile looking skin. It made Ianto feel a bit odd looking at it, the sort of slightly nauseous feeling you get when you discover a spider on your arm that you didn't know was there.

As the team had found out during their pursuit of the creature, which had been noticed by the public due to an unhealthy appetite for household pets, the translucent skin was anything but fragile as bullets had bounced clean off it without so much as a scratch. Owen had made some quip about the creature being Jacks' long-lost indestructible alien twin while they were trying to catch it, remarking that the similarity between the two was striking. In reply, Owen had received a sharp clip to the ear from the Captain and a snappy retort about the alien still being better looking than the doctor before they had continued their pursuit, eventually bringing the alien down by use of a taser. Though impervious to bullets, it seemed their new friend had no tolerance for electricity, as the lowest setting on the taser gun had killed it outright.

There they all were, all oddly fascinated by the weird creature before them that Jack had called a Kleemotite- 'Funny things, no concept of humor at all,' was the most information he had offered – when, out of the corner of his eye, Ianto saw the now familiar shimmering that meant Lisa was about to manifest again. He turned to look at her, and in alarm from her to each team member.

But it wasn't Lisa this time. Squinting, Ianto realized with a jolt that this figure was new. New, but still achingly familiar. This time it took the form of Suzie, and though she was standing (well, hovering) right next to Gwen, Gwen appeared not to notice the woman who had attempted to kill her.

Ianto looked from Gwen to Tosh, whose eyes remained firmly on Owens' new friend rather than moving up to the appearance of her ex-colleague directly in front of her. Jack was giggling about something with Gwen now, and though for a brief second he frowned very slightly and cocked his head, as if listening to something inaudible to the rest, he remained his normal self.

Owen was of course ignoring everyone but the Kleemotite. None of them could see Suzie. It was the first time Ianto had experienced one of the -well, ghosts, for want of a better word- in front of the others. The solid fact that they were completely oblivious made Iantos' heart sink a little. He'd been hoping for something, anything to tell him that his suspicions about losing his mind were unfounded, but this only served to convince him further that something was wrong with him and him alone.

Ianto stared at Suzie, mouth suddenly bone dry in shock. The Suzie figure was smiling gently at him. _Hello Ianto. Remember me?_

He inclined his head a little to acknowledge her, not daring to speak aloud. Suzie didn't say anything else, merely watched the rest of the autopsy silently with the rest of the team until a demand to go to the nearest pub by Owen signaled that the fun was over. The team filed out of the autopsy room while Owen washed up and when Ianto looked back, Suzie was gone.

It carried on the same way for another week or so until more apparitions began to appear. Lisa and Suzie still came to him, Lisa most frequently, but they were then joined by the boy Eugene Jones. Ianto had never really met Eugene, only seen him a couple of times when the boy had showed up at Torchwood callouts that Ianto had been involved with. Eugene had an odd talent for appearing wherever the team showed up, leading Ianto to believe he may have some way of tracking their communications. He'd been about to start an investigation with Tosh, but the unfortunate boy genius had died before they had started, making the venture pointless. There he was though, turning up one night at Ianto's flat with a huge grin on his face. He didn't say an awful lot, merely appeared to watch the television for a while as Ianto sorted through some paperwork before disappearing again. He wasn't as frequent as the rest, popping up every now and again, same smile, same look of boyish innocence about him.

The biggest shock was when Iantos' brother Euan had appeared. Euan had been in the army, killed in service two years ago while posted to Afghanistan. Ianto hadn't seen him for almost eighteen months before Euan had died. Never had the chance to say goodbye, left to imagine the horrific death his brother had been subjected to.

But now here he was...Euan looked, well, _normal_. Like he had before he'd shaved off his shoulder length black hair, before he'd left. When Euan appeared in the kitchen at Ianto's flat he'd been grinning, almost a carbon copy of Ianto but slightly younger.

Ianto had cried after the first time he saw the shining figure of his brother. He'd only cried once since learning the news of his brothers' death. Now for the second time he was struck by how much he missed Euan. Ianto wasn't particularly close to his family but with Euan he'd always found he had an affinity, an understanding. The pair had been inseparable as children, remaining close until Ianto had gone to London to work for Torchwood One. From then on they'd barely seen each other. The news of Euan being shot while out on a routine exercise had come just before the Canary Wharf battle, the grief of that mixed with the pain of almost losing and then hiding his partially converted girlfriend had sapped Ianto of all his emotional capability.

But now here he was. Ianto could talk to him again, joke about like his brother was still a living being. Euan chatted and laughed with Ianto whenever he appeared, and soon the reality of the ethereal glow about the man became less of an issue, so glad was Ianto to have his brother back in whatever form this was.

Ianto had no idea why this was happening to him, but quickly began to believe it was a gift rather than a curse. A second chance, maybe. He could talk to Lisa, muck about with his brother and reminisce with Suzie about less complicated times. Even Eugene provided a welcome change of conversation from the normal drawl about the rift. The total escapism from the confines of the Hub and everybody in it was a relief. It meant Ianto didn't have to think about any of it; not Jack, not aliens, not the team, nothing. Forgetting that he was technically talking to nobody (as demonstrated by the complete indifference of the Torchwood team to the many appearances at work by Ianto's companions), the Welshman began to enjoy the time he spent with the dead more than the days he spent among the living.


	5. Chapter 5

_What are you doing, Ianto?_

He looked up and smiled at Lisa, sitting behind him in the kitchen of the Hub.

'Making coffee. What else do I do?'

_You do more than that, surely._

He shrugged, watching the steam begin to rise from the machine as he made a meticulously organized line of mugs on the side. 'Sometimes. There's not much happening at the moment. Even if there was I probably wouldn't be involved.'

_You're wasted here, you know,_ Lisa sighed, leaning her head on her hand. She appeared to be sitting, but there was no give in the cushions of the worn brown couch to indicate any physical presence. _I always thought that. You were more involved at Torchwood One._

Iantos' face was stony, staring at the floor, hands in his pockets. 'I know. But that was a long time ago. Different world.'

_You never seem happy anymore. I miss your smile._

'Not much to smile about except when you're here,' Ianto said, offering her a small grin as if it were proof of his words. He didn't mention the others, having worked out that though he could see them all, the apparitions could not see each other.

_Why don't you leave?_

Ianto frowned. It was an interesting question, one that had occurred to him before but that he had not really considered at length. 'I don't know.'

At that point Gwen trotted up the stairs towards him. She looked around, frowning slightly before returning her gaze to Ianto. 'Who are you talking to?'

Ianto swallowed, turning away and filling the mugs. 'Nobody. There's no-one here.'

'I could have sworn I heard your voice. You're the only Welshman here, it's pretty distinctive.' Gwen's voice was suspicious, and Ianto knew that if he turned to look at her now then that _that_ look would be playing around the edges of her face.

'Oh, I was mumbling to myself about something a minute ago. It was probably that,' he invented quickly, arranging the mugs on a tray and adding a packet of biscuits. He turned, tray in hand, a not-too-convincing smile on his face. His gaze flicked momentarily to the now empty sofa before he looked at Gwen again. She still looked a little confused, but seemed to accept his explanation.

'You want to watch that, talking to yourself,' she chided. 'It's a sign of madness you know.'

Ianto followed her up to the conference room where a meeting about more escaped Weevils was about to take place. He couldn't help a small smile at the irony of her words.

Ianto wasn't stupid. He was well aware that it was unhealthy to enjoy the company of these...ghosts as much as he did, more so than the company of the people he saw everyday. He noticed himself become more withdrawn at work, spending as much time in the archives or anywhere away from his colleagues. Thankfully they were so distracted that they didn't seem to notice his absence. As long as he continued his cleaning up and filing (mostly after they had left on a mission or for their own homes now, should it involve entering the main area of the Hub), Ianto managed to do exactly as he wished.

Jack still watched him though, he noticed. Every so often Ianto would look up and Jack was watching him, a thoughtful look on his handsome face. Occasionally he'd offer Ianto a smile before returning to whatever it was he'd been doing, but more often than not he'd continue unashamedly looking Ianto over as he performed his latest task. Ianto had an odd paranoia; maybe Jack knew. Maybe he could tell that Ianto was concealing something. The man did sometimes display an eerie sixth sense when it came to the emotions of people around him, which in itself was part of the reason that Ianto avoided him as much as possible. He had reached the point now where he didn't _want_ anyone to know about the ghosts, so content was he with their presence in his life. It was odd how the dead somehow made him feel more alive than he had in a long while.

_Wanted_. That was the word he was thinking of. He felt _wanted_. Lisa, Suzie, Euan, even Eugene all kept appearing to him and only him, because they _wanted_ to.

Whereas the others all had something of a life outside the walls of subterranean Torchwood (well, except Jack presumably as he never left, but then he had his own secrets to keep him company), Ianto was alone. More so than ever without Lisa. Cyberwoman or not, she had still been a link to his former happiness, and now that he had gotten some of that contentment back Ianto wasn't willing to let it go easily.

They seemed to know, these visions, that Ianto preferred their company above everything else at the moment. The frequency of their appearances increased, Lisa still most of all, and the conversation became more serious between Ianto and his ex.

_Why are you still here, Ianto?_ She asked him one day as he stood yet again at the coffee machine, staring into space. Uncomfortable at breaching the subject again, Ianto sighed.

'Where else would I go?' he asked quietly, not wanting a repeat of the Gwen incident.

Lisa shrugged a translucent shoulder gently. _You could come with me._

Ianto frowned, coffee all but forgotten. 'What? What do you mean?'

_You know what I mean. Join me. You don't have a place here anymore. They don't need you like I do._

'I...I don't understand. How can I join you? I don't even know what you are!' Ianto replied with slightly more ferocity than he intended. Voicing his own fears about the dubious existence of Lisa and the others for the first time.

Lisa's brown eyes shimmered, gold tinting their usual brown. _I'm Lisa,_ your_ Lisa. The same girl you pulled out of Torchwood One as it burned around us. The same girl you kept alive, risking everything until these people_- she waved a hand around the Hub at Ianto's chattering workmates -_separated us. But they can't keep us apart if you still want to be with me._

'But...how?'

Lisa smiled then and disappeared, leaving Ianto once more in a turmoil of confusion as the coffee machine whistled impatiently.

'Ianto! Would you shut that thing up!' Owen hollered across the Hub. Myfanwy squawked at the sound of the brash cockney accent, the noise echoing sharply around the metal and stone of the building. 'And I think your pet wants feeding,' Owen added, glancing nervously up into the gloom.

Grimly, Ianto flicked the machine off. Lisa was right, why the hell _was_ he still here? Being ordered about or ignored by people who thought they were better than him, more important than him. Lisa had never made him feel this...small. Even Suzie had treated him as an equal when she'd still been alive. Granted, she did turn out to be mentally unstable, but she had at least recognized Ianto as a human being.

Did any of them care? Did any of them really give a damn about what he'd been through, _really_? He'd crawled through the wreckage of Torchwood One with his half-dead girlfriend bleeding in his arms, kept her alive until the monster inside her had won. Watched her die. Watched Jack die more than once, and then walk out without so much as a second thought. Helped clear up Suzie's mess, cataloging all her things before storing her away as if she'd never been there. Oh yes, Jack had been the one to store her body in the morgue, but he hadn't had to go through all of her possessions. Boxing away everything Suzie had owned into a dank garage had been horrible, the complete lack of ceremony about it making it seem like she'd never existed at all. Jack merely dealt with her death, Ianto had had to sort out what was left of her life.

Ianto suddenly found himself wishing ferociously that the cannibals _had_ slit his throat. That would have been easy, relatively quick. Then he wouldn't be a burden on anyone anymore. Not Torchwood, not Jack.

'Ianto!'

The bright American accent was accompanied by a hand on Ianto's shoulder. Startled from his miserable reverie, Ianto spilled coffee on the side, narrowly missing burning himself. He put the pot down and turned to face Jack, whose grin didn't quite hide the worry in his eyes.

'Yes, sir?' he managed, his voice thankfully steadier than the rest of him.

'Jeeze, how often do I have to ask you to call me Jack?' the man said, rolling his eyes dramatically. Still, an air of suspicion about him.

'One more time, as always sir,' Ianto repeated the well-used answer. His voice sounded dead to his own ears, far away.

'Ianto, are you alright?' Jack asked, arms folded across his chest. He was between Ianto and the stairs to the main body of the Hub, offering no easy escape. 'Sorry to be cliché, but you look like you've seen a ghost.'

Ianto couldn't quite bite back the grin that forced its way onto his face. 'Ghosts, sir? That's a bit fanciful even for you.'

The American cocked an eyebrow. 'Hmm. Even so, you're very pale. Do you know you're shaking?'

Ianto looked at his hands which were indeed shaking quite badly. He shoved them in his pockets quickly, desperately searching for a change of subject while keeping his face impassive. 'Sorry. I'm tired. Did you want something, sir?'

The Captain frowned slightly. 'Not really, just to check that you're okay. You've been very quiet recently, we've missed your lyrical voice around the place.'

Sure you have, Ianto thought bitterly. So much so that you've waited until now to ask. Out loud, he said nothing of the kind. 'Like I said sir, I'm tired. That's all. Nothing to worry about.'

'Oh, but I do worry Ianto Jones. That's my job,' Jack said with a wry grin. 'Why don't you go home early today? All's quiet on the Western front, take advantage of it. Get some sleep.'

Ianto raised his eyebrows questioningly. It wasn't as if Jack was wrong, the day had been very quiet after all. He looked over Jack's shoulder and saw Owen tossing a wadded up ball of paper across the Hub to Tosh, who in turn passed it to Gwen before it was returned to the doctor. Well, they weren't working, so why should he?

'If you're sure you won't miss me, sir.'

'Course not.' Jack reached out and squeezed Iantos' arm. Ianto had to stop himself from flinching at the touch. He hated anyone touching him now, ever since Lisa. It only made him miss human contact even more, if that was possible. Jack may be very good at caring for people, but that 'Course not,' had stung. Of course they wouldn't miss him.

'Go home, rest up and we'll see you tomorrow,' Jack was saying.

'I'll just give these out then,' Ianto said quietly, avoiding the Captains' eyes, which still held questions.

'Ianto?'

He stopped, looking at Jack again. 'Sir?'

For a moment Jack looked like he was about to ask whatever it was that was bothering him. Then he seemed to decide against it. 'Make sure you get some sleep, okay?' was all he came out with.

'Yes sir.'

'Promise?'

'I promise.' Ianto picked up the tray and slid past an apparently satisfied Jack, silently giving out the coffees while ducking the paper ball before exiting the Hub through the heavy circular door.

Of course they wouldn't miss him.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to everyone who has been reading this, and to all those who have reviewed. I really appreciate it! xxGhostfishxx

'Where's Ianto?' Owen asked, frowning at the vacant kitchen as he flung his bag at his workstation carelessly. A hangover still prickled at the edges of his head, shortening his naturally short temper. Tosh tutted quietly as a pile of already messy paperwork on Owen's desk scattered to the floor in the wake of the bag assault, before turning back to her computer screen.

'I haven't seen him yet,' she replied, eyes fixed on the screen. She brought up a new screen. 'And he's not logged in today,' she added thoughtfully.

Uncharacteristically concerned, Owen looked over her shoulder at the time logs on the screen. 'He left early last night too.'

'Jack sent him home. Said he was tired.'

'Yeah. He hasn't looked well for a while,' Owen commented, more to himself than Tosh. 'Sickly. I'm not sure if he's eating right.'

'He's always there when we eat.'

'Yes, but he never has anything himself does he?'

'I suppose not. Thinking about it, I never see him eat at all,' Tosh said, bringing up the time logs for the past week. 'He left earlier than normal the night before last too. And three nights before that,' she murmured. 'That's odd.'

'Girlfriend?' Gwen interjected from her station, eyebrow raised questioningly.

Owen rolled his eyes. 'Oh great, another one. We should check and see that she's not the type to need regular upgrades.'

Gwen glared disapproval at him. 'Don't be horrible. He deserves a bit of luck after the past year.'

Owen shrugged at her, sitting down and putting his feet up on the cluttered desk. 'Yeah, maybe. But that Cyberwoman thing was all his own doing.'

'Ianto didn't _make_ her into a Cyberwoman. He loved her, he was trying to _save_ her!'

'Gwen, would you chill out?' Owen snapped back. 'I'm just saying is all.'

Tosh sighed and spoke up, anticipating another Gwen-Owen cat fight on the horizon. 'Look, I for one hope he has found someone else, if that's what it is.'

'I don't, not if it's making him late for work.' The deep tones of Jack Harkness interrupted the conversation as he descended from the main office, hands in pockets and looking like organized chaos personified as usual. His usually boyish expression was grim as he looked around the team. Jack squinted at Tosh's screen, noting the time logs still present and the distinct drop in the hours Ianto had been putting in for the past week. 'I sent him home early because he looked awful. Have any of you called him? See if he's sick?'

'Not yet,' Gwen said, immediately picking up her phone. 'I'll do it now.'

Jack waved a hand. 'Nope, I'll do it. I'm the boss, I get to do the bollocking round here.' He pulled out his mobile phone (a model, Tosh noticed with interest, that wasn't available as yet), and punched a speed dial number. Frowning, he dropped the phone from his ear after several rings. 'Voicemail.' Then, apparently changing his mind he left a rather haughty message before hanging up, threatening all sorts from setting Janet loose in Ianto's flat to a massive cut in the coffee budget unless he turned up soon. Tosh looked longingly at the mobile as Jack stashed it back in his pocket, clearly itching to examine the unfamiliar piece of technology, before turning back to her computer.

'Well, the trace on his car says it's outside his flat,' she said after tapping away for a moment. 'So he's either home or is walking the twenty miles here.'

Jack bit his bottom lip in concentration, arms folded over his chest. 'Right. We have-' he checked the watch on his right wrist '-forty three minutes. If he's not here by then, we're going to find him.'

A groan from Owen. 'Oh come on, is that really necessary? He's probably just overslept or something.'

Gwen hiked an eyebrow. 'This is Ianto we're talking about, he's never overslept in his life has he?'

'It's standard procedure and you know it,' Jack snapped at Owen. As a unit they were formidable but once separated, Torchwood members became vulnerable. There were plenty of species out there, human included, who would love to get hold of a Torchwood employee for their own purposes. This had therefore led to the M.I.A. procedure that Jack had come up with recently. If any member of Torchwood failed to show up within an hour of their supposed start time, the remaining team would go out to search for them. It may seem overprotective, as Owen frequently reminded them, but after the countryside incident Jack wanted his team to be as protected as possible within the confines of an already dangerous job. After all, if they didn't look out for each other, who would?

Three quarters of an hour later and there was still no sign of the wayward secretary. On the tick of the hour Jack descended once more from the office, where Gwen had noticed he'd been sitting staring into space, a frown etching his brow. He was suited up and had a look of determination about him as he clattered down the stairs. The other three glanced at each other before they all grabbed their jackets and followed Jack to the SUV, not even Owen questioning the move this time. Tosh had been trying Ianto's phone every few minutes over the past hour but to no avail. There was no CCTV footage of him in the immediate area from that morning, not that there were many cameras in Ianto's part of Cardiff anyway.

The SUV screeched to a halt outside Ianto's small flat, the team bundling out and storming up to the door as one. Owen reached it first, banging his raised fist hard against the peeling paint surface.

'_Jones_! Where the hell are you?' he shouted. Despite the brash exterior, the other three could all detect the note of worry in Owens' voice. Owen's respect for the Welshman had increased substantially since the run-in with the cannibals. After all it took guts to first grin wildly at and then head butt a madman twice the size of yourself in a blind attempt to save a colleague. Tosh hopped from foot to foot nervously, neck craned back to look up at Iantos' window on the second floor. Owen banged again, this time adding obscenities to his litany.

Losing patience, Jack stood back and gave the old door a hefty kick. The lock gave out obediently, allowing the small group access. They ascended the stairs to Ianto's flat where Jack didn't even bother to wait before kicking that door in too.

Piling into the tiny hallway, the team looked around. Nobody but Tosh had been here before as she had joined Ianto for several late-night work sessions when the confines of the Hub became too much for them. The flat was tiny, smaller than could probably be afforded on a Torchwood wage, but immaculately organized as was to be expected. For some reason Gwen had expected the place to be rather clinical, however it was comfortably furnished with a worn sofa and several battered bookshelves that were full to the brim. There were no photos, nothing as personal as that, but there were various ornaments of the kind you pick up on holiday abroad, and a few scattered paintings.

Finding the front room empty, Jack quickly checked the bedroom (apparently not slept in), kitchen and bathroom. All were deserted.

'I don't like this,' Gwen muttered, checking as she had been trained for any signs, any clue of where Ianto might be. She sifted through the small pile of papers on the coffee table but found nothing useful.

Owen checked the fridge and muttered to himself. 'There's sod all in here. I knew he hadn't been eating, the twat.'

'It's only been an hour, alright?' Gwen said, eyes darting about the place nervously. 'He could be at the shops or something.'

Tosh shook her head. 'But it hasn't only been an hour. Ianto clocked out at half-five last night. That makes it nearly fifteen hours and nobody has seen him.'

Jack stood, hands on hips. 'Okay, think. Where could he be? What does he do when he's not at work? Where does he go?'

The faces of the team were blank as Jack looked round at them, and he had to admit he himself had no idea. Ianto's accusation – '_When did you last ask me anything about my life?_' came back to haunt him as his eyes roved around the empty flat.

'Tosh, can you trace his mobile?'

Tapping frantically at her palm pilot, Tosh's face curled into a smile briefly before falling again. Without replying she disappeared into the bedroom and returned, Ianto's mobile in hand.

Clueless, the team stared at each other, willing and answer to come to them.


	7. Chapter 7

A few of the eagle-eyed among you may notice I've borrowed a field location from Series One for this next chapter. I found the idea of the place fascinating, so I thought I'd play about with it. Much love to all of you who are reading. xxGhostfishxx

Ianto sat forlornly on one of the rocks in Roundstone Wood, eyes trained on the figure before him. He hadn't slept, despite his promise. He'd sat up with Lisa all night, sometimes talking, sometimes silently. She'd told him everything he needed to know and he had made his decision.

So now here he was, had been for about an hour as the sun came up over Cardiff. Ianto knew that he was cold, could see the goosebumps on his bare arms beneath his rumpled t-shirt but couldn't actually feel the chill air in the small forest clearing. He'd not been here for a very long time before today, not since he and Lisa had stumbled across the place on an autumn afternoon while out for a walk. They'd been on a rare holiday together from Torchwood One visiting Ianto's family when they'd decided to kill an afternoon by mucking about in the woods, laughing and chasing each other through the trees. They'd stumbled over hidden branches, pulled each other up again, hidden behind fallen trunks, even splashed through a small brook.

They were out of breath and giggling like children when they'd come across the rough circle of stone. Ianto had known something of the legends about the place and had told Lisa, who had listened in fascination while perched on one of the rocks, wringing water from her jeans.

This rock in fact, the one he sat on now. Ianto felt his heart clench at the memory of how happy he'd been. Content. The memory of her smile as she'd set up her camera to time a picture of them both in the circle, holding his arm and twitching away from him as he tickled her and the camera clicked.

Now all that was left, it seemed, was the shimmering image of Lisa that stood before him without disturbing the crunchy carpet of fallen leaves beneath them. She smiled that familiar smile as he looked at her, unaware of the tears that ran down his face.

The four of them almost tore the flat apart looking for something, some shred of help when Tosh finally stumbled upon the photo. It had been so obviously placed that she mentally kicked herself for not noticing it before, the only touch of sentiment in the small bedroom.

It was on the bedside table in a worn silver frame. It looked like it had been discarded after being looked at many times, lying haphazard on the battered surface of the table. A simple six-by-four shot that Tosh grabbed with both hands and a squeak of triumph.

Jack, Gwen and Owen left their rummaging immediately to join her.

'What? What did you find?' Jack demanded.

Holding up the photo, Tosh swallowed heavily. 'Look familiar?'

They each stared at the photo, the memory still sharp in their minds. It was a snapshot of Ianto and a girl they recognized as a pre-conversion Lisa, both of them standing within a very familiar circle of stones. Ianto looked like he was tickling his then-girlfriend, a grin on his face like they'd never seen as the laughing girl tried half-heartedly to hold him away. The pair were clearly in fits of laughter, a camera on timer capturing the moment in sharp relief.

'Roundstone Wood,' Owen murmured.

Gwen looked at Jack. 'You don't think...not the Faeries again...?'

Jack shook his head, certain. 'No. No, they have what they want for the time being. This has to be something different.'

'Hell of a coincidence though,' Owen pointed out.

'Do you think he's there now?' Tosh asked, staring at the picture.

'But why?' Tosh asked nobody in particular. 'What would he go there for? I know he's been down recently, but this photo is very old now. Look at his hair, it's not been like that for ages. Not since-'

'Not since he was happy?' Gwen finished for her.

The team looked guiltily at each other, all acknowledging the fact that they had known the Welshman wasn't quite himself, but none of them had asked.

'And he's not happy, is he?' Tosh said, biting her bottom lip. 'I should have said something.'

'Well, we can do the guilt trips later,' Jack interrupted, masking his own remorse. 'Right now it's priority one that we find him.' Grabbing the photo and examining it one last time, there was a brief flash of...something on his face. Gwen couldn't quite read it, it was gone so quickly. Then they were hurrying back to the SUV, Tosh already bringing up directions to Roundstone Wood. Only a couple of miles from the flat, they were there in minutes thanks to the usual reckless driving style of the Captain.

_You don't have to do this Ianto, it's up to you._

Ianto blinked at the apparition in front of him. 'What do you want?'

_You know the answer to that. You always knew._

The sobs that had been threatening came forth, causing Ianto to choke out a gasp, hands lying limp in his lap. Roundstone Wood was quiet at this time of day, his voice the only definite sound as the morning sun filtered through the trees and playing lightly across the pattern of fallen leaves. Lisa didn't disturb them at all as she moved closer, kneeling down in front of Ianto.

_I want you, Ianto Jones. I want to be with you again. You can join us today, now. Join me again. Be happy again._

'Will it take long?' Ianto asked quietly. He knew what he had to do, had talked about it through the night, the logistics, different ways. It was Lisa herself who had suggested the eroding stone circle as the place to do it. The connection between here and the other side was stronger than in most places, she said, would make it easier. As easy as death could be, anyway.

The thought of it was not as unappealing as he'd imagined it would be. What did he have to stay for after all? What did he have left in the world now? Lisa was gone. Torchwood would most likely barely notice _he_ was gone. After all, they didn't notice when he actually was there. So what else remained for him now?

With a sigh, Ianto dropped his head into his numb hands. Question was, could he do it? He'd done an awful lot of things he never thought he'd be capable of doing. Crawling through the fires of the burning Torchwood One building, keeping Lisa alive. Endangering the lives of those he worked with to keep Lisa with him. Throwing himself headfirst at an insane man intent on killing him for no reason other than his own pleasure. Was this any worse? Lisa and the others looked happy enough, and they wanted to be near him so much that they had come all the way back from whatever lay beyond this life just to see him. Would death really provide him with the peace he so desperately craved?

The hard metal shape of his gun tucked into the back of his jeans was suddenly all he could think about. That, and the thought of being with Lisa again. If what she said was true he could finally leave it all behind, everything that he despised about this empty life, everything that had hurt him.

God, how it hurt. He'd never felt a pain like it when he'd seen Lisa lying dead on the cold floor of the Hub, still and covered in blood. It had been as if everything inside him that he'd kept going merely through hope over the months leading up to that day had gone into shutdown. He had no emotions left that weren't ragged and overused. Even punching Jack square in the mouth hadn't helped for more than a second, for venting his anger did not change anything. Ianto was still alone.

There'd been Jack after that, of course. A man he hated, but one who could still fascinate Ianto on a level he couldn't quite understand. He'd sort of enjoyed the innuendo, the flirting. And when Jack had come back from the dead after Abbadon, that kiss had meant everything to Ianto. He was so close, _so close_ to feeling like he was wanted again.

That had lasted all of ten minutes before Jack had gone, demonstrating exactly how little they meant to him, all of them. That had been the turning point, convincing Ianto that trusting people was utterly pointless. They all left. Everyone left and Ianto was alone. Again.

_You don't have to be alone now, Ianto_, Lisa said. Ianto had gotten quite used to her seemingly reading his mind, no longer questioned it, and when he looked up at her she was still smiling gently at him.

Ianto looked up again, the tears now stopping but his face still we. They were all here now. Suzie was standing a few feet away, looking more content than he'd ever seen her in life. She'd seemed more at peace whenever he talked to her, never discussing wherever it was that she inhabited now but still seemingly contented. Eugene. Grinning at Ianto, hands in pockets. His brother Euan standing by Eugene. The pair turned to each other and smiled, the first time Ianto had seen an acknowledgment by the ghosts of each others' presence.

_You think you're not wanted, Ianto, but you are. Maybe not here but we're waiting for you_, Suzie said.

Swallowing thickly, Ianto nodded, pulling the gun from his waistband.


	8. Chapter 8

Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter up, I've been ridiculously busy. Enjoy, and much love to all my reviewers! xxGhostfishxx

The black SUV screeched to a halt, scattering showers of gravel around the Roundstone Woods car park. The team leapt as one from the vehicle, storming past the small tourist information center that sold postcards and maps and books of legend relating to the woods, making for the small path that wound into the trees.

It was difficult not to think of the little girl, Jasmine, as they walked amongst the trees. Even the dappled sunlight that broke through into the shadows could not lift the mood, and Tosh couldn't help but glance up into the swaying branches every now and then, expecting to see spindle-limbed creatures perched above them. Maybe Jasmine was still here, Tosh thought to herself. Invisible to the eye, living free with those who had chosen her as one of their own.

She was brought quickly back to reality as the small group approached the familiar landmark from the picture in Ianto's room. There was definitely something...odd about the place. None of them said it, but all of them felt it in their own way as they slowed to a halt. Owen suddenly felt cold despite the sun; Gwen had a moment of light-headedness, gone as soon as she shook her head. Tosh felt a tingling at the back of her neck, that feeling of being watched that Jack had once described as being a result of, well, being watched. It's just that the watcher wasn't exactly on the same plane as yourself.

Jack himself had the sensation of walking _into_ something. He couldn't quite place the feeling, but imagined that if you could walk into a cloud, this is what it would feel like. Something all-encompassing, but not tangible in any way. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sensation.

All attention was now focused on the figure in front of them. Tosh sighed, relieved, as she recognized the figure of Ianto, hunched over on his knees amongst the stones twenty feet away.

They had found him. Strange though it was to see Ianto in something other than the eponymous suit, the jeans-and-t-shirt clad man was nonetheless familiar to them all. His back was to them and he hadn't noticed their arrival, their footsteps across the leafy floor muted by the light wind in the trees above them.

Owen started forward, an inscrutable look on his face and a sharp quip on his tongue, containing several rude words and complaints about wild goose chases. He was quickly halted as Jack's arm swung out and his hand slapped against the doctor's chest.

Owen glared questioningly at his boss. He was the best qualified to check Ianto over, make sure nothing was physically wrong with him, therefore he should be first on the scene. But the glare was lost: Jack wasn't looking at him. Instead, the Captain had his eyes glued to the figure of Ianto. He shook his head slightly to answer Owen before removing his arm.

Tosh and Gwen also seemed confused at this, but Jack had noticed what they had yet to pick up on. There was an all too familiar chunk of metal tucked into the back of Ianto's jeans that had no business being there, and the implications of this worried Jack immensely.

Jack had now recognized the source of the 'cloud' he had walked into when the team had arrived. He could have reached the conclusion quicker, but he was both out of practice and had not felt anything like it for a long time. Once he'd twigged, however, it was painfully obvious, and he cursed himself silently.

What he'd perceived on entering the clearing, the cloud-like disturbance, was coming from Ianto himself. It was _emotion_, pure and simple, so strong that anyone with a vague empathic ability could pick up on it. Had Jack known the effect the others had felt at the same time as he had, it would only have confirmed it further.

Every member of the Torchwood 3 team had an element of empathic or telepathic ability. It was something Jack looked for whenever he recruited, not to actually use, but it could come in useful. Gwen had been a huge example of this, and the fact that she still wasn't jaded by Torchwood and it's workings helped her keep a more open mind than the others. Tosh had been told of her own ability but preferred computers by far, and Owen flat-out refused to believe it, dismissing it as -what was it?- 'namby-pamby bollocks', that's right, when Jack had told him.

Ianto had outshone the other three by far though, his capacity to connect with people, read them without knowing he was doing it had made him ideal as the front line of the Torchwood 3 building. He never used it on purpose, and Jack had never asked him to.

But now...

It was strange. Jack closed his eyes for a moment to block out distractions, trying to place the strange feeling. There was unfortunately no way of telling if Ianto was creating the disturbance deliberately. It was strong, yes, frighteningly so. But it was also..._fractured_ was the only word Jack could think of to describe it. As if in sections. Organized sections of emotion. If the situation hadn't been so serious Jack would have smiled. Organization all the way, that's our Ianto, he thought to himself.

'Jack, he has a gun!' Gwen whispered almost inaudibly, snapping Jack out of his thoughts. Her eyes were wide and scared. '_Jack_!'

Jack nodded, acknowledging her.

Owen glared again, anger hiding his fear, his mouth a thin line. 'What do we do, what the _fuck_ do we do?'

Motioning for the others to stay still, Jack started to move forward slowly, his feet making almost no noise on the carpet of leaves.

This could go one of two ways. Either he could reach Ianto and grab the weapon before he had a chance to use it, or he was about to get shot. Again. If Ianto had a gun he was more than likely prepared to use it, and the shock of the arrival of his workmates might cause him to do something stupid and get someone hurt. Jack certainly had no intention of being shot (not today, anyway), especially as Ianto was a startlingly accurate marksman and probably wouldn't have trouble hitting Jack right between the eyes. The last thing Jack needed right now was a splitting resurrection headache.

The strength of the 'cloud' was stronger the closer Jack got to Ianto, exactly as he'd expected. Swallowing a couple of times, Jack opened his usually heavily guarded mind up to it. Telepathy was a gift he very rarely used, and it caused him to gasp a little as he felt his mind touch the edge of Ianto's. Jack usually preferred to block his own ability because of the trouble it caused. Apart from it being rather rude to root about in someone else's head, it took a huge amount of trust to open your mind to someone else, something Jack wasn't always willing to give. Knowing someone else's feelings, their innermost thoughts, and having them see yours could be either liberating, disarming or just plain terrifying. He hated it, hated the sensation of someone else inside his head. The invasion of privacy was often too much, as Tosh had found out from the alien pendant months ago. That had been the last time Jack had used this gift-curse, and every time he did he always swore never to use it again.

But in this case he was willing to use his full arsenal to get through to the kneeling, armed man before him.

Ten feet away now, and Jack wasn't sure if Ianto had noticed him there yet. He hadn't turned, had showed no indication of knowing there was anyone else in the clearing.

Then he spoke. 'Will it take long?'

Jack jumped, for a moment thinking Ianto was talking to him. But when the unprompted question was followed by a slow nod, Jack was sure. Ianto was talking to someone else entirely, someone nobody but him could see.

Eight feet away, at which point Jack's breath caught in his throat as he saw Ianto twist an arm back to grasp hold of the gun, pulling it from his waistband and arming it before lifting it slowly, the muzzle coming to rest beneath his chin.

Mind now open, Jack felt the stab of fear from the three people behind him as well as the sudden rush of what felt like adrenaline from the man in front as the gun clicked, ready to fire.

'Ianto. Stop.'_ Ianto. Stop._

Out of time, Jack put everything he had into those two words, spoken both aloud and silently. He made them both a plea and a firm instruction, gambling desperately on the fact that Ianto always listened fastidiously to instructions.

Ianto jerked in surprise and span round on his knees, the gun leveled immediately at the speaker. Expecting this, Jack didn't blink but instead froze, holding his hands out to the sides to show he wasn't a threat. He was only feet from Ianto now, staring down the barrel of the gun.

Though he'd only seen him the previous afternoon, Jack was shocked at the state of his secretary. Apparently you could hide a lot with a well-tailored suit that you couldn't with jeans and a t-shirt. Ianto was ridiculously thin, his face a blotchy mess from crying and a day's growth of beard spread across his chin. His hands, though, were disturbingly steady as he held the gun, despite the wild look of panic in his eyes.

Jesus, his eyes... Jack tried to keep his calm as he looked at a man whose soul was laid bare on his face.

The rest of the team held back, letting Jack work whatever miracle he had in mind. None of them had a clue what to do, even Owen, who dealt with the physical rather than the emotional. His experience of suffering usually involved someone screaming in pain, not a work colleague who had been pushed far enough to hold a gun to his own head.

They waited, not breathing.


	9. Chapter 9

Boo26

timerelativedimensioninspace

ADDyke

butterfly.cell

emeraldsage85

coffeemagic

Lost Flame

Siobhan Rose

Much love to you all for reviewing, I really appreciate it, believe me! The same goes for all you lovely folks who have story alerted and favourited me. I'd apologise for always leaving you guys with a cliffhanger, but I wouldn't mean it because I love doing that! Continue watching this space, I'm not done yet... xxGhostfishxx

Taking several deep breaths, Ianto gripped the cold metal of the gun tightly and raised it to press into the soft skin beneath his jaw. He felt the cold barrel scratch against the overnight growth of hair on his chin. This would be the quickest way, he'd decided. One flash of pain and then gone. Quick, simple, then he wouldn't have to deal with any of this shit ever again. He'd be with Lisa again.

His finger was tightening on the trigger when he heard the one voice that could have stopped him. He heard his name. He heard the accent. He _felt_ the voice inside his head. Reacting on instinct he turned and aimed dead-on at the owner of the voice, his mind a jumble of anger and confusion.

Jack stood a few feet away, arms spread, eyes betraying the fear beneath the forced calm on his face. Ianto stared at his boss, shocked to see him. He then noticed the rest of the Torchwood team several meters away beneath the trees and let out an unintentional moan of disappointment. How had they found him? Were they here to save him? _Why_? Why the hell couldn't they just do what they'd been doing for months and leave him _alone_!

'Go away,' he rasped, staring at Jack and not dropping the gun one millimeter.

Jack raised an eyebrow apologetically. 'Can't do that, sorry.'

Ianto hated him more than he ever had at that point. He hated the control in Jack's voice, the assumption that Ianto would listen to him just like he always had. Jesus, this was the man that had been a hairs breadth away from shooting Ianto himself not so long ago, and now he had the hypocrisy to stand here and tell Ianto not to make that decision?

Ianto let his arm fall, breathing in quick, shallow gasps and wondered what to do now.

He watched numbly as Jack slowly came to join him, kneeling in front of him, the look in his eyes rendering Ianto helpless under their blue stare. Ianto suddenly had the odd sensation of being held, as if his body was somehow no longer under his own control. Keeping him from his escape. To test the theory, Ianto tried flexing his fingers around the gun. He couldn't even move his head to look at the hand to check.

'What's happening?' Ianto asked quietly, unable to break eye contact with Jack. This had to be something to do with the Captain.

He saw Jack swallow before speaking. 'I'm stopping you from doing something incredibly stupid.'

Weird. Ianto frowned (noting absently that he could still make facial expressions, despite the selective paralysis elsewhere). When Jack spoke the voice was strange. It was as if it were layered, doubled up. He felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden, as if something was scratching around inside his head. What the hell was going on?

'I'm sorry, Ianto, I know it's a bit of an invasion,' Jack said. 'But you must know I can't let you do this.'

The words were in his head as well as spoken aloud. Still unable to tear his gaze away from the eyes of the Captain, Ianto swallowed dryly, every movement now seemed painful. _It should be done by now_, he thought miserably, _it should be over... I should be gone_.

'I don't want you to go, Ianto,' Jack said quietly.

Ianto felt his eyes widen. How had he done that? Was Jack able to read what he was thinking? Could he always...

'Not always, no,' Jack said. At least he had the decency to look embarrassed, Ianto thought bitterly. Who the hell does he think he is? He has no right to know what I'm thinking.

'What are you doing to me?' Ianto demanded quietly. 'How are you doing this?'

'I can't explain it, it's not important,' Jack replied ambiguously. 'I need to make sure you're safe, that's all, and I'm not about to wrestle with someone as good at shooting a gun as you are.'

Several smart answers to that skimmed across Ianto's mind, none of which he could settle on to insult Jack with. Being so still, he could feel every part of himself with clarity. His heart was hammering in his chest almost painfully and his head ached. This was all Jack's fault. This should be over.

'Bastard,' was all he managed through gritted teeth, feeling with shame the build up of moisture in his eyes.

Unblinking, Jack took a deep breath. Holding Ianto still took an incredible effort, and Jack was out of practice. He could feel a light sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead as he fought to keep concentration. Thankfully, despite the internal struggle for freedom, Ianto was like a rabbit in headlights.

'Bastard,' the man hissed at him, eyes shining.

'Call me what you like, Ianto, but I'm not going anywhere unless you're coming with me. This stops here.'

'Why? What's the point?'

'Because death is not the answer,' Jack said, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the man. Any false move now and the connection between Ianto and himself would be lost. It was becoming more and more of a struggle to hold him still. 'Believe me, I know.'

Ianto snorted in disgust. '_How_ would you know? _You_ always come back.'

'But you won't come back, Ianto. And I can't let that happen.' Jack's voice was fierce now, edged by desperation. He could feel it, the determination in Ianto to end his life was terrifyingly strong. If Jack lost control of this...

He forced the thought from his mind, concentrating on the now.

'I don't want to come back, don't you get it?' Ianto was saying, eyes now imploring Jack to understand. 'I have nothing. _Nothing_. Al I ever had was Lisa, and she's waiting for me. I have to go so as I can be with her again.'

Jack felt a frown crease his brow. 'What do you mean?'

Ianto smiled slightly for the first time. 'They're all waiting for me.'

'They? Who are they?' Jack demanded, and immediately the memory of the Faeries came to him. But it was impossible; Ianto was too old to be a Chosen One, the Faeries only took children. This was something else.

Without warning, Jack felt the connection snap. He pitched forward, unable to stop himself as Ianto pulled away from him. The sheer physical relief from the burden of control making him weak momentarily. Jack looked up to see Ianto, still smiling, as he turned away to his original position in the clearing, staring around the stone circle.

'Can't you see them?'

The portable rift monitor bleeped quietly at Tosh, demanding her attention, which had been flicking between it and the scene in front of her. She couldn't hear what was being said exactly, only snatches of the conversation borne across by the breeze. All any of them could see was Ianto's face as Jack crouched in front of him, the expressions heartbreaking. Tosh had never seen him looking so...lost.

Lifting the small handheld, Tosh noted again the spike in rift activity in the area they were standing in. She couldn't identify it, and it certainly wasn't a tear or they'd have been able to see it in front of them. As she frowned at the monitor, all she could think was that the energy itself from the rift seemed to be centering here.

'Jack? Can't you see them?' Ianto repeated, his voice low and tired, but at the same time full of wonder.

Desperately trying to regain control of the link they'd had – Ianto was now free to use the gun after all – Jack moved forward slowly and sat next to the Welshman on the crackly carpet, staring into the clearing with him.

'I can't see anything, Ianto,' he replied quietly. 'There's nobody here but you and me and the team.'

Tearing his eyes from the scene for a moment, Jack caught the scorn on Ianto's face. 'You can't see them because you don't want to. But you can feel it, can't you? You know _something_ is here.'

Now that, Jack had to admit to. The fractured cloud was still very much around them, overwhelmingly strong now he sat right next to the nucleus of it. But that didn't explain what Ianto was seeing.

He was struck by an idea, a dangerous one considering Ianto still had a firm grip on the revolver in his lap, but worth a try. 'Show me.'

'What?'

'Show me, Ianto.'

Ianto was now looking at Jack as if he were the mad one. That was it: Jack pushed his mind forward again as he held eye contact and was suddenly surrounded by Ianto's mind again. Ianto moaned a protest this time as he felt it happen, and swore under his breath.

'You've no right...'

'Show me what you see, Ianto,' Jack interrupted. If this worked (though he'd never tried anything like this before, it had to be theoretically possible) he might be able to gain some insight into what was happening to Ianto.

Frozen again under Jack's gaze, Ianto frowned. 'How?'

Jack swallowed hard, wishing there was some other way. He didn't feel ready for this but at this point, what choice did he have? It would be worth it if he could bring Ianto back.

And so he opened his own mind to someone else for the first time in centuries.

Iantos' eyes widened visibly as he realized what was happening, that he could now sense Jack in the same way that Jack seemed able to read him. Jack felt his breath hitching with the effort of it, every instinct screaming at him to cut off from this stranger, this _intrusion_ but he fought it. He had to force himself not to blink as his own vision seemed to double, and with a shock he realized that he was seeing through Ianto's eyes, the images that the other man saw ghosting over Jack's own vision.

He could see himself through Ianto's eyes, sitting amongst the clumps of leaves in the forest, could see the trees wavering behind him. It was unclear, like looking at an image through water, but it was exactly what Jack had been hoping for. I'll be damned, Jack thought to himself, unable to believe his luck.

'Can you see them Jack?' Ianto whispered again, and to Jack's surprise Ianto looked away without breaking the connection. Somehow they remained linked despite not having eye contact, something Jack had never experienced before. Maybe it was something to do with the conjoined minds, now Ianto had an equal share in the control.

Jack turned to look at the clearing too, his overlayed vision becoming confused if he didn't look at the same area as Ianto. He squinted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. What Ianto could see.

There was something else in the clearing now and Jack silently whooped for joy: his gamble had payed off.

Shapes...glowing shapes. People? Jack squinted, he couldn't be sure as the images before him were not completely clear to Ianto himself, so they were even more distorted through Jacks' eyes. He could see enough to discern them though, four of them, all standing in the central area between the stones, apparently watching the scene.

Jack let himself feel what Ianto felt and had to bite back a gasp. All he'd touched upon until now was pain, loneliness from the man beside him, but as he looked out at these glowing forms before him he picked up on the complete opposite. The emotional attachment to each of these beings was extraordinary. Ianto had formed a strong bond with these things. To him, they were real, something he could invest some form of happiness and trust in again after all the pain of the past couple of years.

Jack's chest felt constricted suddenly as the strength of the emotions washed over him. Emotion that was not his own. The connection between them was getting stronger, more established now that Ianto had discovered he could use it too.

_Jack?_ The voice surprised him, inside his head. Jack blinked and breathed deeply, trying not to become overwhelmed with the intensity of it all.

'Yes. Yes I can see them,' Jack finally said aloud, his voice low as he continued to study the images. They were slowly becoming clearer as Jack got used to the layered vision. One was nearer to them than the others, more defined, and it appeared to be sitting on one of the rocks nearest the two men. A wave of feelings that were not his own swept over Jack again at the sight of this one, accompanied by flickering memories that moved too quickly for Jack to be able to understand. But he didn't need to, Ianto knew who it was and so Jack knew.

_Lisa? _he asked silently.

_Yes. I told you. She's waiting for me._

And all of a sudden, Jack had it.

The reason nobody could see these things but Ianto. The reason nothing came up on Tosh's scanner, except for an elevated energy level in the area. This was nothing to do with the Rift, nothing alien, and certainly nothing to do with Faeries.

_Ianto was doing this to himself_. He had spent so long locked away inside his own hurt that his mind had tried to created an escape route for him, a way out of his pain. The latent empathic ability within him had somehow become fractured, enabling Ianto to project images of people he cared about into something like reality, that he saw as real. Ianto knew these beings were not human, but instead had accepted them as ghosts that only he could see. Ghosts were perfectly feasible in their line of work and so Ianto hadn't questioned it too much. The reason he perceived them as real was because he didn't know that he was responsible for them. As Jack stared at the things that were drawing Ianto away from his own world and into one of his own creation, he knew that this was going to be harder than he originally thought. How do you convince someone that what they think is real is only a fantasy?

_Who are the others?_ He had to ask.

_Can't you tell? You'd recognize two of them_, Ianto replied, eyes flicking between the three others behind the image of Lisa. Jack followed his gaze as best he could and immediately recognized Suzie.

_Suzie? Why is she here, Ianto?_

Ianto smiled a little. _Because she understands. She knows what it's like when everything gets too much. She knows what I'm feeling._

Jack frowned. _But she's dead Ianto. You must know that. So is Lisa. Who are the other two?_

_That one_ – Ianto looked at the smallest shape – _that's Eugene, remember him? He was happy at the end even though his life was over. He never did anything really, he wasn't really noticed when he was alive. Like me, I suppose. But when it came to him dying he realized it was actually okay, that people _had_ loved him and that he'd see them again one day. He told me about it._

Jack looked at the final figure and felt Ianto's gaze follow. _That's my brother, Euan. You never met him. Never will. He was in the army, died in battle, but he's waiting for me too. The only one in my family who ever gave a damn about me was taken away, and now I can get him back._

Ianto turned back to Jack. Jack blinked suddenly, his vision had cleared. Ianto had shut the link that allowed Jack to see through his eyes, surprising Jack with the amount of self control it must have taken to do so. All Jack could sense now was that steely determination, back again full force, and the steady look on Ianto's face as he looked at him.

'I'm going with them, Jack,' Ianto said aloud now. 'They said I can join them, and I want to. You can't stop me. Just let me go.'

Jack shook his head. 'No. You belong here.'

'No I don't. I don't belong anywhere. But with them I'll be safe.'

Jack reached out and grabbed Ianto's arm, the skin cold beneath his fingers, and flinched at the sudden pressure in his head, the psychic link increasing with the physical contact. He'd never felt so connected to someone before, and this was the main reason Jack rarely used his own ability. The strength of other people's emotions could pour unchecked into your own. It was hard enough controlling what you felt within yourself, but it was nigh-on impossible to change the thoughts of someone else.

Ianto truly felt that nobody cared for him anymore, that he was surplus to everyone's requirements. Jack winced as he touched on the memory of his own betrayal in Ianto's mind, a steely flash of hatred and Ianto's own anger at himself for being stupid enough to trust someone again. Jack had known that he'd hurt Ianto by leaving with the Doctor so abruptly, he saw it all over the man's face when he'd returned just as unexpectedly, but he had no idea of the extent of it. Ianto felt...alone. Completely and utterly alone. No wonder the thought of death seemed so appealing. Ianto felt as good as dead already.

Jack struggled to stay afloat in the mire, refusing to be overwhelmed. Ianto needed grounding, and fast.

_I'm sorry._

Ianto looked at him sadly. _What for?_

_For leaving you. For letting you cope with this alone. For never asking._

The other man shrugged._ It doesn't matter now._

'Yes it damn well does matter!' Jack shouted, rising panic causing him to lose his temper. He could feel Ianto slipping away from him 'I will not let you kill yourself, Ianto Jones, do you understand me?'

'It's not your decision. You can't save everyone Jack, and I don't want to be saved. You have no control over me anymore,' was the reply, Ianto's eyes cold now.

'Ianto, the people you're seeing...they're _dead_.'

'I _know_ that! I'm not stupid!' Ianto snapped defensively.

'Then you must know that you don't belong with them! You belong here, with me, with us,' Jack said, eyes still trained on the man opposite him. 'We need you.'

The cold blue stare grew harder, and Jack felt a flash of anger. '_Need_ me? What for? To clean up and make coffee? To feed Myfanwy? To do the paperwork? You don't _need_ me Jack, none of you do. Lisa does. _She_ needs me. She wants me with her, and that's where I want to be too.'

With that, Ianto pulled his arm away from Jack, fingers tightening round the gun again. 'You'll replace me as easily as you did Suzie. Don't worry.'

Jack felt the link snap completely as Ianto shut himself off. Horrified, he watched as Ianto lifted the gun again, pressing it to his temple, eyes squeezed shut.

'Goodbye, sir,' Ianto murmured.

'_NO_!'

Owen, Tosh and Gwen watched their colleagues in confused fascination. They were speaking in broken sentences, and Tosh had the feeling that they couldn't hear all that was being said between the two. It was spookily reminiscent of conversations she and Mary had had, half aloud, half silent. All three had edged closer in order to hear what was going on, and had thankfully not been noticed.

Gwen couldn't look away, hearing the conflicting pleas of Jack and Ianto. One desperate to die, the other desperate to save. She felt her heart skip as Ianto raised the gun to his head again.

'Goodbye, sir,' he said, eyes shut.

Gwen heard the two beside her scream the word even as she did.

'_NO_!'


	10. Chapter 10

Jack hurled himself at Ianto, hearing his yell of defiance echoed by the rest of the team as he did so, sprawling himself and Ianto painfully across the forest floor. Jack felt the muscles in his arm protest loudly as Ianto landed heavily on it. His fingers reached out and gripped Ianto's wrist, twisting the limb violently to provoke release of the gun.

Ianto's shout of frustration became a yell of pain, his fingers splaying out in a reflex action to the twisting grip. The gun fell from his hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Gwen dart forward and pick up the weapon, disarming it and stowing it safely in her jacket before stepping away again quickly. Jack held on to Ianto to keep him from scrabbling after the weapon, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as the man lying beneath him fought for his freedom.

'Get off me! _GET OFF_!' Ianto struggled pointlessly beneath the Captains' superior hold, weakening by the moment. Ignoring him, Jack hauled the man into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his thin body in order to keep him from going after the gun again.

Unarmed and helpless, Ianto wailed loudly, a sound filled with despair, trying to hit Jack but to no avail in the strong grip. After a few failed attempts he slumped, eyes fixed blankly on the clearing, all the fight finally leaving him.

Ianto knew it was over as soon as he saw Gwen grab the gun away. He knew Jack wouldn't let go of him, his face determined as he pulled Ianto off the floor and wrapped his arms round him, half protective, half in an attempt to restrain.

Livid, terrified, distraught. Ianto twisted violently in the arms that encircled him mercilessly, tried to punch Jack. Wanting to hurt him, the man who'd once again denied him the chance of happiness, but he couldn't break free of the vice-like hold he was caught in.

He felt fresh tears run down his face as he went limp, his chin resting on his chest. Jack was murmuring something in his ear but he sounded far away, the emotions fighting for dominance thick inside his head. Slowly, Ianto registered what was being said, feeling oddly numb.

'...okay, it's okay, I've got you,' Jack was saying. 'Ianto, calm down...'

'Get off me,' Ianto pleaded quietly, his breath drawing jagged and sharp. 'Jack, _please_...'

But to no avail. The grip around him didn't loosen at all. With nothing left in him, Ianto gave up and stared at the clearing. They were still there, Lisa and the others but they were different. They had lost something, moved further away. Ianto reached out a shaky hand as best he could to Lisa, who was still closest, but all she did was smile a little at him, not moving.

'Don't leave me...' he whispered, tears hot on his face.

Suddenly Jack was there again, in his head. He could feel it, like jumping into a warm pool and being surrounded by the water. He was surrounded by Jack's mind.

_Ianto, you have to listen to me. What you're seeing isn't real._

_How do you know?_ It hurt to even think the words, to think that Jack could be right. How often was he wrong, after all?

_These aren't ghosts. You've sort of...created them yourself._

_What?_

He felt Jack sigh, trying to find a way to explain. No matter how Ianto tried to block it out, Jack was in his head. He was too close and Ianto couldn't just shut the door on this weird connection like he had before. He didn't have the energy, so there was no option but to listen.

_You've made them, Ianto. They come from you, from your hurt, your pain. They are parts of you, and you've molded them into people you know to try and make sense of them. _Jack paused again._ They are real to you because you believe in their existence, but they don't exist. They are stronger here because this place, Roundstone Woods, it's a catalyst for energy from the rift and from the earth itself. You've brought yourself here subconsciously._

_They told me to come._

_No, you told yourself. You already knew the history of this place, so you transferred it to them. Everything they tell you, you already know because they _are_ you. _Ianto felt Jack sigh again, and touched on genuine regret in the Captains' mind. _I'm sorry._

Ianto couldn't find a way to reply to this. All he felt was denial. It couldn't be true. How could he possibly have made all this up? These people, they made him feel wanted when every day he felt abandoned. They were company when he was alone. They felt more real to him than any of the rest of the team.

_You have to let us help you, Ianto,_ Jack said, his temple pressed against the side of Ianto's head, speaking directly into him. _We can bring you back from this but we need your help to do it._

_What if I don't want to be brought back? _Ianto asked quietly.

_I'd rather Retcon the last five years of your life than have you shoot yourself in the middle of the woods,_ was the sharp reply. _You only have two options, and those are they. Come back with us and let us help you. Or leave Torchwood and have the life you deserved before all this crap came down on you._

Ianto sighed, watching as the shining figures continued to move further away. He felt enfolded, and realized with a painful moan that it was Jack enveloping him further, keeping Lisa, Euan, Suzie and Eugene away._ Don't take this away from me Jack. Please, don't take them away._

As he said it, he knew that Jack was right. Lisa and the others, they weren't real. He hated the admission, but he could feel the truth in Jack, and it was like a knife to his heart. The thought of losing the feeling of safety he'd got back when these things had started to appear was unbearable. He didn't want to be afraid again. Alone again.

_They won't be going away completely,_ Jack explained softly._ They are still a part of you, Ianto, so they still exist in that sense. They'll be here, just not in the same way. But you have to learn to control them again. They belong inside you, looking after you. But not like this, they don't belong out here. There are other people on the __outside that can do that job._

Ianto vaguely felt a pressure on his hand, and glanced down. Jack had joined his fingers with Ianto's, raising the joined hands to eye level.

Y_ou feel this? This is real. Those things, they aren't. I know it hurts, but you have to come back to this._ He wiggled his fingers in Ianto's palm to emphasize the point.

Ianto lent his head back against Jack's shoulder, eyes now screwed shut against the world. 'How can I go back now?' he whispered.

'We'll bring you back mate.' Ianto opened his eyes again at the intrusion of another voice to see he was surrounded by figures again. But these figures weren't golden, not shimmering or translucent. They were the living, breathing members of Torchwood 3, Cardiff, and they were all crouched around him as he lay back against Jack, his hand entwined in that of his Captain.

It was Owen that had spoken, to Ianto's surprise. He looked questioningly at the doctor, who offered an awkward smile. 'Come with us, yeah? It's fucking freezing out here, you'll catch pneumonia That's a pain in the arse to deal with.'

'Real sensitive there, Harper,' Gwen mumbled. She and Tosh reached out together to grasp Ianto's knee and hand respectively. Ianto could feel the warmth from them, and it hit him in a rush how cold he was. He'd been here for hours now, and despite the sun it was chilly in the middle of the woods.

_Jack?_

_I'm here. I told you we need you._

_I still don't see why_.

_Come on, Ianto. Can't you see them?_ Jack echoed Ianto's own words from earlier on. _All three of them, they've been more worried than I've ever seen them since they realized you were missing._ Ianto felt Jack smile. _Can you feel them?_

Slowly, tired beyond belief, Ianto reached out as he had with Jack towards the other three. And he could feel them. It wasn't as strong as the connection with Jack, but Ianto could sense the worry that surrounded him, the mixture of relief and hope amongst the people in front of him.

He could sense Tosh the easiest, a tight knot of fear in her at what she'd just witnessed him do and an incredible amount of compassion tucked behind her private facade. Gwen, almost overwhelming in her desire to help, desperately guilty that she hadn't ever spoken up when given the opportunity. Owen, who, despite himself, really _did_ care. Heartless Owen, just itching to get Ianto back to the Hub and under observation so as he could check his colleague was okay.

It was...wonderful. He'd never known these people were so capable of this kind of emotion, especially not directed at him.

And Jack. Terrified at the thought of losing another member of his team. Willing to give anything for Ianto's safe return.

_I can feel you. All of you._

_There you go then. You know what they feel. You know what they think. They need you._ Jack paused_. I need you, Ianto._

Ianto sighed wearily, the numbness now passing so as he could feel every aching inch of his body.

_This will take time, Ianto. But we're all here for you. _Jack said.

Ianto nodded, the edges of his vision going cloudy. 'I know.'

'Look, what the hell is going on?' Owen demanded suddenly of his boss, confusion rife on his face. 'Are you two having some weird psychic conversation?'

Jack's smile widened into a grin. 'Sorry Owen, but some things you don't need to hear.'

'I don't want to know,' the doctor grumbled, taking the opportunity to examine Ianto quickly, checking him over for any obvious injury. Satisfied that there was none, his eyes flicked to Ianto's face, then to Jack. 'Er, you know he's passed out, right?'

'I'm aware of that,' Jack said sarcastically. 'What are you, a doctor?'

Owen made a snarky face in return and didn't reply. Instead he administered a sedative quickly, ensuring Ianto continued to co-operate until he was safe.

Jack looked down at the slack body folded in his arms, breathing evenly now. He'd felt Ianto slip into unconsciousness, his mind cutting loose from Jack, unable to take any more that day. 'He's exhausted, we need to get him back to the Hub.'

'Can I suggest some kind of quarantine so as I can keep an eye on him?' Owen asked hopefully. 'I don't want him going AWOL with a gun again. I want to go out a hero, defending some poor student girls from an alien. Not shot by the bloody teaboy.'

Gwen smacked Owen in the arm and he growled at her. 'Shut up, Harper.'

'Just saying.'

'We need to keep an eye on him though,' Tosh agreed. 'I'm willing to sit with him. But I don't know what would be best for him right now. He needs help, Jack.'

Jack stood, lifting the wretched form of Ianto almost effortlessly. Jesus, the man weighed nothing. 'I know. I can help him, I just need time.'

They started back towards the SUV.

'You?' Gwen asked. 'I think Tosh means more psychological...'

'What do you suggest?' Jack snapped back at her. 'You know a name of a shrink that specializes in Cybermen and cannibals? What about your workmates shooting themselves, or your boss running off with some mythical Doctor? Or feeling so completely alone that you make up a whole bunch of people just to feel normal again?'

Gwen shut up promptly.

'Thought not. Any normal shrink would freak out and commit him soon as look at him,' Jack sighed, looking down at the pale face of Ianto. 'He needs _us_, that's all. He needs to start talking again.'

'Then that's what we'll do,' Tosh said quietly, finalizing the matter. All three filed behind Jack along the worn mud path, glad to turn their back's on the clearing.

'Were you really having a psychic conversation?' Owen asked, trepidation obvious in his voice. 'Because I was only joking about that...'

'Don't worry about it,' Jack said as the team wound through trees back to the SUV. They climbed into the vehicle, already emotionally exhausted. Tosh noted that it wasn't even ten in the morning yet. Jack climbed in the back, Ianto propped against him in the cramped vehicle. He put an arm round the Welshman protectively, his face set and stubborn.

How had he let this get so far? He was supposed to be in charge, aware of everything that was going on around him and especially in tune with the colleagues he relied on every day. People who in turn relied on Jack to look out for their own safety. Sometimes immortality made you a little complacent about the fragility of those around you, Jack thought to himself grimly. Every one of them was vulnerable every day, and though Jack could do nothing to stop that, he could at least ensure they were as safe as possible.

Tentatively, he reached out again into Ianto's mind to check. The man was completely out of it now, the sedative working it's magic so as Ianto's mind was a complete blank. How he'd missed the complete breakdown of someone as close to him as Ianto was...had been, Jack corrected himself sadly.. that was unforgivable.

Withdrawing, Jack drew the man closer and stared out of the tinted window. Resolving never to let this happen again.

_**fin.**_

A/N - To everyone who has alerted, reviewed and favourited, and just taken the time to read. Thank you all, it's appreciated more than you know. I hope you liked it, and I hope to write more soon.

**xxGhostfishxx**

P.S. - If you're after some angsty goodness, I advise you to check out this song. I was listening to it a lot while writing this fic. X

_This shallow need to feel wanted._

_Worshiped and adored,_

_And never be ignored._

_I give you love but you don't see it._

_You never understand my world is in your hands_

_I have this thought in my head,_

_And it's about being noticed._

_Somebody stop me feeling empty._

**Empty – Amanda Ghost**


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